Next to Normal
by mysticalflute
Summary: Petunia's worst nightmare comes true in the form of Dudley's floating game console.
1. Number Four Privet Drive

Number Four Privet Drive was quiet, aside from the radio playing softly in the living room, as one Petunia Dursley stood dusting off the photos on the mantle, as she did every morning at ten-thirty. Everything was progressing along just as it should, just as it _did_ every day.

Petunia turned, finished with the dusting, and went over to the cupboard under the stairs, grimacing at the spider web. No matter how many times Petunia cleaned this place, the spider webs just grew back.

She couldn't fathom putting anything in here other than cleaning supplies.

Letting out a soft sigh, Petunia made a mental note to fit in cleaning the cupboard in between the rounds of laundry, and went out to sweep her small front stoop.

"Good morning Petunia! Beautiful day isn't it?" called Alice Wexler from across the road.

Petunia gave the woman a polite smile and nod. "Indeed it is! Almost too perfect for March, wouldn't you say?"

"It does seem that way! But we should enjoy it while we have it, right?"

"Indeed. I think Dudley and I will head over to the park when I go pick him up from school," Petunia hummed with a wave as she retreated back inside when she heard the phone begin to ring. That was strange. Marge didn't usually call until dinnertime.

"Hello? Dursley residence."

_"Mrs. Dursley, hello. This is Mrs. Nolan, Dudley's teacher. Do you have a moment to talk?"_

Dudley's teacher? Her little Dudder? What a strange phone call to get. "Oh! Of course I do Mrs. Nolan. What can I do for you?" she asked with a small frown.

The teacher heaved out a sigh. _"Well… it appears Dudley has gotten into a bit of trouble this afternoon. He somehow threw an eraser across the room and hit the board. He claims he didn't do it, but there are… well, a lot of witnesses."_

Oh no. This was a phone call parents dreaded.

"Why Mrs. Nolan, I'm sure there must be some kind of misunderstanding," Petunia said smoothly. Dudley was strong, yes, but would he go so far as to throw something across the room? Her Dudders would never do such a thing! "I know Dudley might not be the best student in terms of grades, but I know for a fact he would never throw an eraser!"

_"Mrs. Dursley, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to give him some sort of punishment – "_

"I said my son is innocent. You will do no such thing!" Petunia protested.

A resigned sigh met her ears. _"Very well, Mrs. Dursley. Can you please ask Dudley what really happened, at least? Maybe he'll talk to you instead of me."_

Petunia smiled, pleased with the arrangement. "Of course I can, Mrs. Nolan. Thank you very much for seeing it my way."

_"You're welcome. Bye now."_

Petunia hung up the phone, content, until the end of the day when it was time to get Dudley from school.

"Dudley dear, how was school today?" she asked smoothly.

"Something really cool happened mum!" he said, practically bouncing on his toes as they walked down the lane.

Petunia smiled. "Oh? And what was that?"

"The teacher's eraser flew across the room! It was like magic! No one saw who threw it, and I don't think anyone did!"

Magic?

Color began to drain from her face as they entered the house. "Magic?" she whispered. "And why do you say that, Dudley? You know magic isn't real."

"I know Mum, but it was so weird! And so cool! Besides, it's not like the teacher didn't deserve it. She was really annoying today…"

Petunia pretended she didn't hear that last part as she gave Dudley a bowl of crisps to eat. "Just because you didn't see who did it doesn't mean it was magic, Dudley. And don't worry, I've already spoken to your teacher. She will not be blaming you."

Dudley smiled up at her. "Thanks Mummy."

"Only the best for you, my dear, sweet boy," Petunia replied with a smile. "Now, why don't you head upstairs and play some of your video games before dinner?"

Dudley nodded and got up, heading upstairs as Petunia prepared a roast and potatoes.

"Whoa!" she heard the muffled cry of her son. When he was playing his games, it wasn't unusual for him to cry out during a particularly hard part, it was a bit strange for him to be so… quiet with his shouts.

So it was with a small frown that Petunia set down the knife she was using and made her way upstairs. "Dudley? Is everything alright in there?"

"Mum! Come here! You have to see this. It's so cool!"

Petunia let out a soft sigh. Usually when Dudley showed her things he deemed cool in his video games, it was a new way to kill another character. Hardly the sort of thing that Petunia wanted her son to be interested in, but she couldn't convince him otherwise. Even so, he wanted to show her something, so Petunia pushed his bedroom door open…

And nearly fainted at the sight.

Her son's game controller was floating in the air, while her son was sitting on his bed in awe. Excitement was written on his face as he glanced from Petunia to the floating controller.

She felt her legs almost give way, but she kept herself steady with her hand resting on the handle of the door to keep herself upright. She couldn't stand this. She couldn't stand the thought that her son could be like her – her sister. The woman she hadn't spoken to in years because she'd gotten everything and Petunia was only left with the scraps. She couldn't stand the thought of Dudley being a – a freak like her!

"It's time to do your homework, Dudley," she managed to whisper. "Turn off your game and do your homework."

"But – "

"Now!" she said sharply. Much sharper of a tone than she'd ever used with him before.

Sensing the unease with his mother, Dudley scurried off to do as she asked. As he disappeared down the stairs, Petunia let her legs drop to the floor.

She couldn't tell Vernon. Not yet. Not knowing how he'd react.

Petunia was cornered. Completely and utterly cornered, and left with only one option.

She had to call her sister.

Taking a deep breath, Petunia steadied her nerves and made her way to the phone she and Vernon kept in their bedroom, pulling out the number she'd kept hidden for a rainy day, and dialed while praying to whatever god was out there that they hadn't gotten rid of the phone.

_"Potter residence, Harry speaking."_

Petunia's breath caught in her throat at the voice. She remembered getting that announcement. She hadn't sent anything. Had thrown out the announcement, but she remembered getting it in the mail. Harry… her nephew's name was Harry. A perfectly ordinary name, surprisingly.

_"Hello? Is anyone there?"_

_"Harry, if no one's there, hang up the phone!"_

"Lily…" she whispered when she heard her sister's voice, jolted back into the reality of the situation. "Hello… yes, I need to speak with Lily, please."

_"Oh. Okay. Mum! Phone for you!"_

There was a brief pause as the phone changed hands, and finally there was a soft "hello?" on the other line.

"Lily… I… it's me. Petunia."

Another pause, this time of shock. For a moment, Petunia could have sworn her sister had stopped breathing, until she heard a whispered_"Tunie?"_

"Yes. Lily I… I don't know what to do."

_"What is it? Are you okay?"_

"Physically yes, I'm fine… I'm not sure about mentally right now."

_"What happened?"_

Petunia took a deep breath. "I think my son – my Dudley – has magic."

_"You… think he's a wizard? What makes you think that?"_

She placed a hand on her forehead. "The… he has this video game thing, I don't know if you keep up with technology anymore but… it was floating. They aren't supposed to _do that_, Lily."

Lily sighed on the other end of the line. _"Okay. I'll get in contact with Professor Dumbledore and let him know. I imagine… he'll be in contact soon, if Dudley is. Does Vernon know?"_

"He's not home from work yet… I don't know how to tell him," Petunia whispered.

_"Petunia… I'm sorry."_

"What?"

_"I know how much you consider me to be a freak. I'm sorry that your son might have to go through his parents hating him because he's a wizard."_

Petunia stiffened, pinching her brow as she tried not to scream. "Lily… I don't know what to do."

Lily was quiet over the phone for a moment before Petunia heard her voice again. _"What do you want of your son, Petunia?"_

"I want him to be normal!"

_"Petunia, this is the new normal for him. He's not a Muggle, and you have a choice to either be a good, supportive mother to him, or you can do to him what you did to me, and end up pushing him away. But if you want to continue to live in denial, wait and see if he gets his Hogwarts letter. If he doesn't, then congratulations, you were seeing things."_

She stared, dumbfounded at Lily's words. "Lily, I – "

_"Those are your only two options, Petunia. Now, I'm sorry to cut this short, but we're having dinner tonight with some friends and their children. Bye… Tunie."_

"Bye Lily…" she whispered, her voice shaking as she ended the call and put the phone down on the bedside table, before resting her head in her hands. This was a nightmare scenario for Petunia, something she never expected would happen. Yes, Lily was a witch, and that wasn't right, wasn't normal, but for her son, her Dudley to be one…

And then there was Vernon. Her dear husband Vernon. He hated magic more than Petunia did. How was he going to react to this?

Still… normal. She had to pretend – for now – that everything was normal.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Petunia rose to her feet and went back downstairs to finish cooking dinner. It needed to be done at exactly five-thirty after all, and she had wasted enough time already.

"Mum? I'm done with my homework…" Dudley's voice, unusually quiet, murmured into the room right as Petunia was finishing mashing potatoes.

"I'm glad, Dudley," Petunia said. "You can watch TV now. Your father will be home soon."

Dudley nodded, shuffling a little in the kitchen's doorway. "Mum, are you mad?"

Petunia sighed, setting the beaters down and looking at her son. Her beloved son. If he was a wizard… could she turn her back on him like she had Lily?

"No, Dudders, I'm not mad at you. I know you couldn't help what happened earlier," she said, putting her hands lovingly on his shoulders. "And I promise, I'll tell you what I think happened, but for now, maybe we can keep it our little secret? I don't think your father needs to know about this quite yet."

Dudley frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I still need to talk to some other people about this. If you keep it a secret for your father, I promise we'll go to the shops after you get out of school tomorrow, and you can get whatever games you'd like."

He lit up at that and happily wandered into the living room, and moments later Petunia heard the television flash to life, and normalcy seemed to be returning to the Dursley household with Vernon's arrival home from work. As always, Vernon's coat and hat were hung up neatly, his briefcase put carefully next to the coffee table, he'd ruffled Dudley's hair, given her a kiss, and the family settled in to dinner, with Petunia's heartbeat beginning to slow to a normal pace.

Or, it would have, if not ten minutes later, the fireplace hadn't lit up in a brilliant shade of white, and Albus Dumbledore appeared in the middle of their living room.

"Hello Petunia. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"


	2. Albus

Petunia screamed.

Vernon managed to knock over both his chair and the bowl of mashed potatoes that had been in front of him.

Dudley's face was a mix of shock, awe, and a hint of fear.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, remained serene as he pulled out his wand, silently repairing the chair and the bowl that had been knocked over. "My apologies, Petunia. I did not realize your family was in the middle of dinner. I got a message from your sister. She said it was urgent."

Petunia blinked in surprise, her heart lifting just slightly at the information that her sister had dared to do something immediately rather than let Petunia wallow in her fear, despite everything that had happened.

Clearing her throat, she regarded Dumbledore again. "So, what brings you here, Professor Dumbledore?"

"Your son. Lily mentioned something about him… and as it stands, Professor McGonagall had something to deliver to him. So I like to think this is a happy coincidence," Dumbledore replied,glancing at Dudley.

Vernon, having recovered from the shock of having a man appear in his fireplace, slammed his fist against the table. "Now you listen here! My son is not a wizard. He's not one of you freaks."

Color had drained from Dudley's face as he stared at Vernon. "But – but daddy… I think I might be. When I was playing my games earlier my controller came to life and started floating in front of me." Biting his lip, Dudley turned to Dumbledore. "Are you magic? Do you think what I did was magic?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Yes, it appears that you are a wizard, like me, Mr. Dursley." Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a letter marked with Dudley's name on it, and handed it over.

"Is – is that good?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his glasses. "I like to think so. Hogwarts has been my home for a very long time after all."

Dudley grinned, looking at the letter with awe. "Then I'm going to be the best wizard Hogwarts has ever seen!"

Vernon's hand slammed against the table again. "Dudley, you are not going to a school for freaks!"

"Mr. Dursley, I can assure you that Hogwarts is the finest school for young witches and wizards in the world. Dudley will get the best in wizarding education there than he would anywhere else."

"Outrageous! He'll get a perfectly good education in the real world!"

"Vernon, that is enough!" Petunia finally shouted, scratching her throat at the amount of volume she was using, before shrinking back in surprise at her own voice. "I don't… I don't know if we have any choice in this."

"Our son will be going to a normal school, Petunia. That is the end of that. And you - " he rounded on Dumbledore, eyes wild with fury and fear, pointing at Dumbledore with his thick finger. " – will leave my home immediately, and take your delusions with you!"

Dumbledore's face turned down, a look Petunia had never seen before. "Mr. Dursley, I strongly urge you to reconsider your son's place. Dangerous things can happen to wizards and witches who ignore their powers."

Vernon scoffed. "What, they have to live perfectly normal, non-magical lives?"

"No. Most of them die."

Petunia paled. As much as she didn't like the thought of her son being a wizard, she obviously didn't want Dudley to _die_! Her innocent little baby boy…

"I don't wanna die! Mummy please don't let me die!" Dudley cried, grabbing Petunia's arm and holding her tight. "Please!"

Petunia clutched him close. "You aren't going to Dudders… I promise. Professor Dumbledore will keep you safe."

Vernon was uncharacteristically pale as he stared between Dumbledore, Petunia, and the terrified Dudley.

"… There's no other option?" he grumbled. "He'll die if he doesn't go to some bloody wizard school?"

Dumbledore seemed haunted as he replied. "Yes. Dudley will die. I've seen it happen before, as has a dear friend of mine. Petunia, I have known your family for a very long time. I know you would not want your son to suffer for not following who he really is. This is overwhelming for you, I understand, but I assure you, your son _will be safe_ when he starts at Hogwarts."

Petunia fussed with her hands, her heart pounding in her chest. Was this what her parents felt when Lily had gotten her letter? Pride, yes, but panic at the thought of sending their beloved daughter into the unknown? Had Petunia been wrong the entire time about them?

"It… seems we have no other choice, Vernon," she said softly. "We cannot let our son die."

Vernon grumbled something under his breath, before finally sighing. "No, of course we can't," he fidgeted his hands again, looking up at Dumbledore. "And what are we supposed to tell our loved ones about our son? He was supposed to be normal!"

"He _is _normal, just not in the way you consider it. But you could simply tell your loved ones that he got accepted to a boarding school to broaden his horizons. Travel and learning is good for children, is it not?" Dumbledore hummed, stroking his beard in consideration. "I know this is causing your family quite a bit of strife, but believe me, this will be for the best. For his safety." Dumbledore paused again, looking at Petunia. "Normally, we can give you advice on how to safely navigate Diagon Alley, or come with you to guide you, but considering your sister is a witch…"

Petunia hesitated. "I… will think about it and get back to you with my answer."

"Of course. It was lovely to speak with you again. Farewell Petunia, Vernon. Dudley, I shall see you September 1st."

Dudley was the only one to find his voice as Dumbledore turned back to the fireplace, having managed to get out a polite "goodbye".

The moment the wizard was gone, Vernon's fist slammed into the table for the third time that night, rattling its contents. "A wizard! How the hell did that even happen?! You and I are perfectly normal people!" he spat.

Dudley's face turned from wonder to hurt as he looked at his father. "Does this mean you don't love me anymore, Daddy?"

Vernon hesitated, and that was all Petunia needed to see. She rose to her feet, dinner forgotten, and moved to Dudley, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and taking him upstairs without another word.

"M-Mummy, does daddy not love me?" Dudley asked.

She hated that she couldn't answer truthfully, but Petunia swallowed her fear and exhaled. "It's going to be okay Dudley, I promise. Your daddy still loves you. It's just… been a long time since we've had to deal with magic. He's just overwhelmed."

She hoped.

Dudley didn't seem convinced, falling unusually quiet and running his thumbs along the wax seal of the envelope before he spoke again. "That man seemed to know you. Why?"

Petunia fumbled with her apron. "My sister is a witch. I wanted to go to Hogwarts with her. Your grandparents doted on her left and right, and I felt… left out. So I wrote to Professor Dumbledore and asked him if I could go. He, very politely, turned me down since I didn't have magic."

"I have another aunt?" Dudley's face lit up for a moment, before his brow furrowed in alarm. "She isn't like Aunt Marge, is she? I don't like Aunt Marge's kisses, even if she pays me."

A watery laugh escaped Petunia. "No. Goodness, no. She is nothing like Aunt Marge. Although she will probably hug you." Frankly, no matter how angry she got at Lily, she had spent many family gatherings wishing it was Lily and her idiot husband with them and not Marge and her horrible dogs.

"Can I meet her? Do I have any cousins?" Dudley asked.

"I'll… have to talk to her about that… and as far as I know, you have one cousin. His name is Harry. He's a month younger than you."

"So he'll be going to Hogwarts too, right?"

Petunia nodded. "Providing he's a wizard, of course."

"Wicked… so I'll teach him about video games and wrestling and he can teach me about magic!"

She could only give her son a weak smile. She had never thought about Dudley having a relationship with Harry before, but now, it appeared that, for better or worse, they were going to meet.

Despite the initial jolt of excitement, Dudley's shoulders slumped, and his face turned despondent again. "Mummy, do I have to see daddy for the rest of the night?"

Petunia frowned. "What do you mean, Dudley?"

"Well, it's just… I'm still hungry, but I don't want to see daddy. He called me a freak."

Oh.

Petunia's heart sank a little as she reached over to rub Dudley's back. "No dear. You don't have to see him tonight. I'll bring you dinner in your room, okay?"

Dudley nodded. "Thank you, Mummy."

"Anything for you, my baby. Now, go ahead and go to your bedroom. I'll make sure Daddy won't bother you tonight."

When she heard Dudley's bedroom door closed, Petunia went downstairs, seeing Vernon still eating what must have been his fourth helping of potatoes.

"Where is he?" he grumbled, potato spewing out of his mouth.

"In his room," she said plainly, focused on her task of getting her son food.

"If he wants food, he can come down here and get it."

"No. Not this time. You hurt him, Vernon. You called him a freak to his face!"

"You agreed with me, once upon a time. Your sister is a freak. Her husband is a freak. He even tried to tell people he was a magician at our wedding!" Vernon countered. "And now, somehow, they've made our son a freak."

Petunia slammed the serving spoon against the table, narrowing her eyes at him. "He is magical. Yes. I don't like it any more than you do, but do not call him a freak, Vernon. He is our son! Our pride and joy! Calling _him_ such ugly names should be beneath you!"

Lily and James had been one thing, but Petunia had hoped, foolishly, that Dudley would be another matter.

"I have no pride in our son right now. This magical crap certainly didn't come from my side of the family!"

"You forget, Vernon, I'm not magical either. Lily was an exception in my family."

Always the exception. Perfect, beautiful Lily, with their mother's red hair and their father's green eyes, with the ability to do wonderful, terrifying, magical things. Petunia was none of those things. This was not her fault.

It was no one's _fault_.

Vernon droned on, Petunia's patience now needle-thin.

"And furthermore, that Dumblegore or whatever his name is has no idea what sort of life Dudley could live if he doesn't go to Hogwarts!"

"He said very plainly that Dudley will _die_!" Petunia snapped. "Vernon, you know I love you dearly, but I will not stand for this any longer. Whether we like it or not, our son is a wizard. You are welcome to go along with his needs… or you are welcome to leave. Now, if you don't mind, I have a hungry, terrified son upstairs that I am trying to comfort. _Goodnight_, Vernon."

Turning on her heels, Petunia retreated back upstairs with two plates of food that she realized were still suspiciously hot.

Had Dumbledore done something…?

No. She didn't want to think about that right now. She just wanted to decompress and not worry about Dumbledore at the moment.

"Dudders, I brought you a plate," Petunia said, carefully opening the door with her hip.

Surprisingly, the video game console and television were turned off, and Dudley was concentrated squarely on reading the letter Dumbledore had given him.

Petunia couldn't remember the last time Dudley had looked so excited to be reading something related to school.

"The letter says I can bring a pet to school!" Dudley remarked, taking the plate with eager hands. "An owl, a cat or a toad!"

Petunia was repulsed at the thought of having a toad in the house, and she certainly didn't want to have to explain the sudden appearance of an owl as a pet. So she gave Dudley a weak smile. "Oh? Well that's lovely, Dudders. I think a cat sounds the most practical though…" she hummed.

Dudley frowned, but nodded, setting the letter on the bed and taking the plate of food. "Yeah. I guess so. When can I meet Aunt Lily?"

"Soon. I'll call her tomorrow while you're at school."

"I can't wait to tell Piers and the others that I'm a wizard!" Dudley exclaimed through a mouthful of food.

Petunia's heart stopped. Lily hadn't been able to say anything to her old friends. Petunia wasn't even sure she remembered seeing any of them come around in the summers, now that she thought about it.

"Dudley… there is something very important that Dumbledore forgot to mention. This magic needs to be just between us, okay? You can't tell your friends," she said gently. "Wizards and non-wizards are supposed to be separate."

He paused, brow furrowing again. "Oh. So it's like a secret identity? Like Batman?"

Petunia gave him a weak smile. "If you'd like."

Dudley was quiet as he thought, before he brightened. "Okay. That sounds like fun!"

"Good… now, you're free to play your video games until bedtime, okay?"

Dudley nodded, handing her the plate, going strangely quiet again as Petunia left the room and went back downstairs.

She didn't speak to Vernon the rest of the night, retreating back upstairs to read, glancing between the book and the bedside table, and wondering when the best time to call her sister was.

At eight o'clock, she finally bit the bullet and re-dialed Lily's number.

"_Potter residence,"_ came Lily's calm voice.

"You were right, Lily. Dudley is a - a wizard. Dumbledore confirmed it, brought his letter."

Lily was quiet, and for a moment Petunia thought she'd hung up. "_Okay. So what's your plan, Petunia?"_

"He's going to go to Hogwarts, of course."

"_And you're going to support him?"_

"I will. Yes."

"_And Vernon?"_

Petunia sighed. "We had a fight. He's in denial, I think."

"_I see. Well, having one supportive parent is better than none, I suppose. Okay then. Are you free this weekend?"_

Petunia quickly grabbed for her pocket calendar. "Yes, I am. I'm free all weekend."

"_Alright. You and Dudley are welcome to come out to Godric's Hollow on Saturday. He can meet Harry and Violet - " _

"Violet?"

"_My daughter. She's eight."_

Petunia felt her heart clench. "Oh. That's wonderful. What time should we get there?"

"_How about noon? We can have lunch and talk about the next steps for Dudley, and for you."_

"Okay. I think I'd like that very much."

"_We'll see you Saturday then, Petunia."_

"Yes. Goodbye, Lily."

When Petunia hung up the phone, she wasn't sure if she felt better or not. But, it was nice to know Dudley had someone on his side besides her.

She rubbed her temples before quickly scribbling in the meeting time and place she and Lily had agreed upon before laying down in bed.

It was going to be an interesting summer.


End file.
